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VALERIE KUINKA
General & Co-Artistic Director

RICHARD MARGISON
Artistic Director

2021 PARTICIPANTS

 

MONIKA MAZANKA | Soprano

Lyrico-spinto soprano with a rich and velvety tone, Monika seduces the public with her charisma and her interpretation. "His voice is smooth and his spontaneous musicality is right and very easy to follow," according to conductor Jean-François Rivest.

Winner at the Canadian Musical Competition in 2013, Monika Dongmo is the recipient of a Desjardins grant as well as the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation. She was also one of the 9 semi-finalists in the prestigious 2014 OSM standard life competition. She was the recipient in 2013 and 2014 of an Orford Academy scholarship. Monika is also the recipient in 2016 of a scholarship from Jeunesses Musicales Canada. In 2017, she received the 375th special prize of the city of Montreal by the Racines Croisés organization.

Holder of the prize from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and a DESS from the University of Montreal under the tutelage of Adrienne Savoie, Monika is a gem that we are just beginning to discover.

Recently, we were able to hear her at the 15th anniversary gala of the Opéra de Rimouski as well as headlining at the closing recital of the Camp musical Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean festival.

In opera, Monika won praise for her performances in the roles of Contessa in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and that of Sister Opportune in the operetta Les mousquettaires au convent by Varney.

Very comfortable on stage, Monika Dongmo places a great deal of importance on emotions and acting. Stage director François Racine says of her that she is a sensitive, creative and very intelligent artist.

Monika is currently on tour in Quebec with the play "Ensemble" by the DuBunker theater company (2020-2021).

She cares about her credo: "Singing well soothes not only the soul of the listener, but also that of the singer"

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LAUREN MARGISON | Soprano

Recognized for her ability to communicate with an audience, soprano Lauren Margison is making her mark as a young artist of note. An alumna of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, she was a member of the prestigious Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, laureate of Jeune Ambassadrice Lyrique and she was the youngest finalist to appear in the prestigious and highly competitive Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Vocal Competition. A finalist and prizewinner in the 2017 George London Foundation Awards, Lauren went on to take first prize in the 2018 competition. She appeared as Mimi in a special presentation of La Boheme with Artists of the COC Ensemble at The Four Seasons Centre, was featured in the COC’s Elektra and was scheduled for Micaela in Carmen for Pacific Opera Victoria, a production that was postponed due to the coronavirus. Also on her schedule were performances of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis for Chorus Niagara and his Symphony No. 9 for Orchestre symphonique de Québec.

The Ontarian was featured as Mïcaela in Carmen with the Brott Music Festival, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Highlands Opera Studio and appeared in concert with the PRISMA Festival in Strauss’s Four Last Songs. During her 2017-2018 season, Lauren returned to Atelier lyrique and appeared as Clorinda in La Cenerentola with l'Opéra de Montréal and Missia in the Atelier lyrique’s production of La Veuve joyeuse. Lauren has also appeared as a soloist in Hommage à Reynaldo Hahn with the Société d’art vocal de Montréal, in the new opera Mishaabooz’s Realm with the Highlands Opera Studio and Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, and in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Mozart’s Requiem with Vox Luminosa and Choeur de Laval.

A versatile soprano, she has performed extensively both in Canada and internationally, specializing in classical, jazz and pop repertoire. Some highlights include performances for Opera Ontario, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, The Beaches Jazz Festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Cincinnati Pops, Hannaford Street Silver Band, the noon hour concerts at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts – Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Ottawa Choral Festival Gala, and the Venetian Ball under the baton of Marco Armiliato, (fundraiser for Villa Charities, Toronto) held on the main stage of the Four Seasons’ Centre for the Performing Arts.

She was chosen as one of four singers to perform the music of Gordon Lightfoot for Gordon Lightfoot at the Lifetime Achievement Heart and Vision Awards and was a featured soloist on the City TV Christmas Carol Sing aired across Canada. She has shared the stage with such distinguished artists as Gordon Lightfoot, Rufus Wainwright, Russell Braun, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Measha Brueggergosman, Nicole Cabell, Louise Pitre, Sheila McCarthy, The Tenors, Jackie Richardson, Rex Harrington, Elaine Overholt, and her father, Richard Margison.

Lauren has appeared as a guest artist with Argentinian tenor, Jose Cura, at the Pavilhao Atlantico in Lisbon, Portugal, performing before an audience of 8,000 and a pan-European television audience. She has also been part of the 4-member female vocal group, ‘The Real Divas’ and their CD, Café Society, is currently in release. After a successful tour of British Columbia and appearing as guest performers on the CBCTV broadcast of the National Jazz Awards, the young women appeared in concerts across the country.

She attended the prestigious Castleton Festival in Castleton, Virginia, the brainchild of the late Lorin Maazel, as one of the youngest participants in the vocal division. Lauren performs across Canada with her father, Richard Margison, in their vocal duo, ‘Back to Back’, and continues to hone her vocal art under the tutelage of Margison and Valerie Kuinka.

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MAEVE PALMER | Soprano

Described in review as a “virtuoso singer” (Whole Note), and a “triple-threat [and] talented coloratura” (Opera Canada) Maeve Palmer is an alumna of the University of Toronto (U of T) Opera School the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program (2017-18), and the Sidgwick Scholar Program with Orpheus Choir of Toronto (2015-18) where she sang as soprano soloist. She is the second prize winner of the 2017 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition.

Maeve is currently studying with Lorna MacDonald, and is a doctoral student in voice performance and pedagogy at U of T.

Recent operatic roles include Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Mary Crawford in the Canadian premiere of Mansfield Park (Dove), Sandrina, and Serpetta (La Finta Giardiniera), Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and Greta Fiorentino (Street Scene). Oratorio performances include soprano soloist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Honegger’s King David, and Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia, among others.

Maeve has performed in concert with New Music Concerts, Continuum Contemporary Music, Opera Atelier, Tapestry Opera, Chorus Niagara, Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Off-Centre Music Salon, and Highlands Opera Studio among others.

Maeve’s voice is featured in the Hollywood film The Space Between Us, (2017), and in the TV series Aftermath, (2016).

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ELIZABETH POLESE | Soprano

Canadian soprano Elizabeth Polese has been praised as “powerful and engaging” [The Globe and Mail], “sparkling” and “delightful”, with “power to spare” [Opera Canada]. Polese is a recent graduate of l’Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Centre, winner of the prestigious 2019-20 Sullivan Foundation Gail Robinson Award for Soprano, and of the 2021 Hnatyshyn Foundation Prize for Classical Voice.

The upcoming season will see Elizabeth performing in recital with her duo partner, harpist Antoine Malette-Chénier, with Les Concerts Ponticello and on tour with Orchestre Symphonique de Trois Rivères. She will also work again with Opéra de Montréal as a cover in Julilen Bilodeau’s new work La Beauté du Monde and as Papagena is Barry Kosky’s spectacular production of Die Zauberflöte. Learn more at www.elizabethpolese.ca/schedule.

Highlights of her time at Opéra de Montréal included the privilege of working with world renowned conductors like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicole Paiement, Alain Trudel, and Carlo Montanaro, and Elizabeth especially enjoyed working with sensational fellow young artists in the instrumental world like Nicolas Ellis and l’Orchestre de l’Agora. Along with many concert performances, she performed the roles of Alice B. Toklas in the Canadian premiere of Twenty-Seven (Gordon + Vavrek), Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw (with Orchestre de l’Agora) Contessa di Ceprano in Rigoletto (with René Barbara as Duca), and covered the roles of Marzelline in Fidelio (Orchestre Métropolitain), Agnès in Written on Skin, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte (COVID-19 cancellation). Other COVID-19 cancellations included performances of Mozart’s Mass in C, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, the Governess in The Turn of the Screw, and concert performances at Tanglewood Music Centre.

Possessing an affinity for oratorio, many staples of Polese’s repertoire include Messiah, Carmina Burana, and several Bach cantatas, and she has won several competitions for her rendition of Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate (University of Toronto Concerto Competition, Toronto Mozart Competition, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra Mozart-Sénécal Prize). Polese is also at home in new music and has also performed works by Messiaen, Knussen, Foss, Gordon, Freedman, Cage, Crumb, Benjamin, and Stravinsky, among others.

Her varied collection of repertoire has brought her success in several competitions, most notably winning the 2019 Sullivan Foundation Gail Robinson Award for Soprano, Second Prize and Best Performance of a Canadian Work at the Concours de Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Manuvie in 2017, and placing as a semi-finalist at the Concours Voix Nouvelles in Massy, France in 2018.

Ms Polese is an alumna of many esteemed training institutions internationally, including the Rebanks Family Fellowship of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Universität der Künste Berlin, Highlands Opera Studio, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Brott Opera, Opera NUOVA, Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, Victoria Conservatory of Music, and Centre d’Arts Orford. Ms. Polese holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Toronto, where she studied under the tutelage of celebrated Canadian soprano, Mary Morrison (OC).

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SARA SCHABAS | Soprano

Canadian soprano Sara Schabas has been praised for her “crystalline singing” (Schmopera), “pure sound” (Ludwig van Toronto) and for maintaining a “clear soft tone, despite her vocal power” (Opera Canada). On stage, Sara’s recent performances have included the title role in Maxime Goulet’s The Flight of the Hummingbird with Vancouver Opera/Pacific Opera Victoria, a solo recital for the Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series, Henri (Bandits in the Valley) with Tapestry Opera, Papagena (Die Zauberflöte) with the Dayton Opera, Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) with the Aspen Opera Centre, Frasquita (Carmen) with the Mississauga Symphony, and Najade (Ariadne auf Naxos) with Highlands Opera Studio. On the concert stage, she has sung as a soloist in works including Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, and by Vivaldi, Rutter, Poulenc and Mahler. During the pandemic, her projects have included a return to Pacific Opera Victoria as the Dormouse in a filmed presentation of Elizabeth Raum’s The Garden of Alice, a digital recital with Marie-Ève Scarfone in the Opernhaus Zürich, a filmed presentation of her Dora-nominated performance as Anne Frank in Cecilia Livingston’s Singing Only Softly, and joining Manitoba Opera as a Digital Emerging Artist. Post-pandemic, Sara looks forward to returning to Highlands Opera Studio as Zerlina (Don Giovanni), performing with Théâtre Lyrichoregra as a laureate of their Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, and her Austrian debut in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with the Concentus Musicus Wien. A 2019 Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, her recent awards include the Career Blueprint Award from the IRCPA, the Hnatyshyn Foundation Grant for Classical Vocal Performance, and grants from the Vancouver Opera Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts. Born and raised in Tkaronto/Toronto, Sara enjoys writing about her art form for Opera Canada Magazine, bringing music to people in care homes, baking, reading, and exploring her new home of Switzerland.

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TAMAR SIMON | Soprano

Heralded for her “clear vibrant tone” (Opera Canada) and her “good comedic acting…with [a] powerful, agile voice” (Burnaby Now), Tamar Simon is an emerging Armenian-Canadian soprano embarking on a promising opera career. Her recent credits include Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Musetta (La Bohème), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni), a role she is scheduled to reprise this August with Highlands Opera Studio. A frequent performer around Vancouver, Canada, Tamar was featured as the soprano soloist for the Vancouver Opera Festival’s New Works Project and has performed outreach concerts for Vancouver Opera. She appeared as Valencienne with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in their Look of Love concert, a role she reprised with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra in their concert of Viennese Delights. She has also been engaged with Burnaby Lyric Opera as Rosina in their mainstage production of Il barbiere di Siviglia and as Adina in their concert production of L’elisir d’amor, and performed with White Rock Concerts as Musetta in their production of La Bohème.

Tamar has been seen on international stages, including appearances as Zerlina in Hawaii Performing Arts Festival’s production of Don Giovanni and as Calisto in Centre for Opera Studies’ production of La Calisto. Tamar continued her vocal and art song studies in Austria after receiving the Johann Strauss Foundation Scholarship, which sponsored study at the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum under soprano Helen Donath and baritone Wolfgang Holzmair. She has also traveled to Pilzen, Czech Republic and Nürnberg, Germany performing excerpts from La Traviata, La Bohème, and Die Fledermaus. Additionally, she sang in Hong Kong and Beijing as part of the UBC Centennial Tour, performing excerpts from Don Pasquale and Les contes d’Hoffmann.

Tamar is a District Winner and an Encouragement Award Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is a graduate of University of British Columbia’s Master of Music program in opera performance where she studied under Patrick Raftery and Nancy Hermiston. At UBC, she performed many leading roles, most notably the role of Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro where she was described as “believable and engaging Susanna, passing from innocence to subtlety to assertion, always in control and always the unrecognized protagonist” (Opera Canada). She was also seen as Tytania in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ciboletta in Eine Nacht in Venedig, and The Foreign Woman in The Consul. She is currently studying under acclaimed soprano Heidi Melton.

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SIMONA GENGA | Mezzo-Soprano

Named one of the CBC's "30 hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30” Mezzo Soprano Simona Genga, is known for her vocal plushness, amplitude and range which are mature beyond her years (Opera Canada). Toronto raised, Simona is a proud graduate of the COC’s Studio Ensemble and the University of Toronto’s Opera School.

As a Gerdine Young Artist, Simona received the 2018 Barbara and Stanley Richman Award for demonstrating "exceptional potential for a significant career" at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis where she returned the next year as Annina in a special production of La Traviata directed by Patricia Racette.

An avid interpreter of song, Simona’s favourite summer was spent studying at the Franz Schubert Institute where she was deeply inspired by the late Dr.Deen Larsen. Her sensitive and emotional grasp on repertoire have granted her fellowships with the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, the Chautauqua Institution, and awarded her prizes including the Norcop Song Recital Prize, an Elora Festival Recital, Developing Artist Grants from the Hnatyshyn Foundation, the Sullivan Foundation and Ruby Mercer Awards.

Most Recently, Simona has made COC debuts as the Second Maid in Elektra, Cindy in Wow Factor, Berta in the Barber of Seville, and Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel (Opera for Young Audiences). This spring, Simona was preparing the High Priestess for Aida and workshopping the role of Mrs. Macaroni in Ian Cusson’s new opera Fanstasma which is postponed from the Fall of 2020.

In the wake of COVID-19, Simona has been honing both artistic and administrative skills, joining the OmniArts Foundation in organizing and performing in their Virtual Concert Series entitled “Lean on Me” which raised money to support Artists. Simona is extremely honoured to be joining Highlands Opera Studio for Independent Study this summer.

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ALEX HEATHERINGTON | Mezzo-Soprano

Mezzo-Soprano, Alex Hetherington enjoys performing a wide variety of styles, with a specialty in contemporary music. She is currently pursuing a master’s in opera performance at the University of Toronto, where she was honoured with this year’s Norcop Art Song Recital Prize. She sang the title role in Peter Brook’s La tragédie de Carmen, premiered the role of Ivanka Trump in the newly-composed Escape Room, and won an encouragement award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Adapting to the pandemic, Alex has sung in a number of recordings this year, including Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Lauren Margison and Vlad Soloviev, and Tapestry Opera’s new album, Rocking Horse Winner, which premiered on CBC Music’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera.

In the 2019-2020 season, Alex made role debuts as Nicklausse/Muse in Toronto City Opera’s Tales of Hoffmann, The House in Tapestry Opera’s Rocking Horse Winner, and Juno in Toronto Lyric Opera Centre’s Semele. She sang Ana Sokolović’s dawn always begins in the bones in Winnipeg and Toronto with the Canadian Art Song Project, and performed in Classical Context’s Prehistoric Ligeti and Toronto Summer Music’s season, Beyond Borders, as an Art of Song Fellow. In past seasons, Alex performed with Tapestry Opera (Songbook VIII, 2018; Oksana G., 2016), Camera Ensemble (Art Song Project, 2016), and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (The Bear, 2014). She completed her Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto, and was the 2019 recipient of a prestigious Faculty of Music Graduating Award. During her undergraduate, she had the honour of working with celebrated industry professionals, including Jessye Norman, Barbara Hannigan, Judith Forst, and Deen Larsen.

Alex specializes in contemporary music. She loves collaborating with composers and is passionate about working to expand and promote Canadian repertoire for singers. She is also a composer herself, with works performed in concert by the Gryphon Tio and members of Esprit Orchestra. In her spare time, Alex can be found reading, gardening, and admiring dogs.

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ANGELICA MATA | Mezzo-Soprano

Hailing from Sinaloa, Mexico, Angelica Mata’s ravishing mezzo-soprano has gained international recognition from opera’s most esteemed institutions and principals. Her colorful performances have delighted audiences spanning the globe, including Mexico, The United States, and Europe. Ms. Mata’s most eminent roles consist of Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther, Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Gianetta from Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Stephano in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette, and Ciesca in Puccini’s comedy, Gianni Schicchi. Additionally, Ms. Mata has sung in Bizet’s beloved Carmen as Mercedes, and as Tasse chinoise/Chatte/Libellule in Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortileges.

Ms. Mata has been the recipient of many awards, most notably gaining first prize in the International Opera Competition Sinaloa 2015. She also received first place in Southern Methodist University’s Concerto Competition in Dallas, while pursuing a Performance Diploma in 2017. Most recently, Ms. Mata has been bestowed an Encouragement grant in Opera de San Miguel where she also won the Highlands Opera Studio Prize, in Ontario, Canada. Moreover, Ms. Mata was a Finalist in National Competition Carlo Morelli, held in Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City in November 2019. Through her many active years, Ms. Mata has collected many regional and educational accolades including First Prize in the National Association for Teachers of Singing of Texoma and Second Place in the Voice Competition Maritza Aleman.

Ms. Mata trained under the tutelage of mezzo-soprano Amelia Sierra at the Escuela Superior de Musica de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. In 2019 Ms. Mata procured the attention of famed artists Placido Domingo, Elina Garanca, and Javier Camarena through a series of masterclasses and concerts sponsored by Opera Studio Beckmann where she was a featured artist last year. Ms. Mata’s former training includes the Sociedad Internacional de Valores de Arte Mexicano and the Taller de Opera Sinaloa.

Ms. Mata made her American Debut, singing Falla’s Amor Brujo with SMU orchestra in the Morton Meyerson Hall, the principal Symphony hall in Dallas, Texas this past April 20th. Is one of the winners of Raíz México a national social program of summer 2021 to perform and promote self-conscious to the public about the environment and the global warming through art.

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MICHELLE SIEMENS | Mezzo-Soprano

Hailed as “incredibly versatile and exciting” (Schmopera) Canadian mezzo-soprano Michelle Siemens is continually thrilling audiences with her “dark, lustrous instrument” (The National Post). In 2019, Ms. Siemens debuted Der Komponist in Highland Opera Studio's ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, of which Opera Canada said, "…Michelle Siemens captured the angst of her character while also displaying vocal virtuosity in her show stopping 'Sein wir wieder gut.' "As an Apprentice with Central City Opera, she made her debut as Ines in Verdi’s IL TROVATORE.

In 2018 she concluded her tenure as a Domingo-Colburn-Stein young artist with Los Angeles Opera where she made her United States debut as a Daughter in AKHNATEN, and was seen as the Page in Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, Margalit in Perla’s JONAH AND THE WHALE, principal ensemble in Bernstein’s CANDIDE. She also covered Maddelena in Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, Mercedes in Bizet’s CARMEN, and Fenena in Verdi’s NABUCCO. Los Angeles Opera featured her as a soloist in the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program 10 Year Anniversary Gala and Placido Domingo 50th Anniversary Gala.

In 2013, Ms. Siemens made her international debut in the title role of Purcell’s DIDO AND AENEAS at the Yorkshire Opera Workshop in the United Kingdom. Other previous seasons have included Hermia in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and La Suora Infermiera in SUOR ANGELICA with Opera on the Avalon, Ocypete in Marc Blitzstein’s THE HARPIES and Cherbuino in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO with Halifax Summer Opera Festival, Madame de la Haltière in Peter Kazaras’ production of CENDRILLON at UCLA, and Dritte Dame in Mozart’s DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE and Third Witch Bloch’s MACBETH with the Manhattan School of Music.

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On the concert stage, Ms. Siemens collaborated for two years with Los Angeles Opera’s Artist-in-Residence Matthew Auction to present three touring concerts including his own compositions, as well as operatic standards of Mozart and Verdi. She has sung the mezzo-soprano soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, Verdi’s Requiem, and Mozart’s Requiem. Other guest soloist appearances include Fresh Squeezed Opera, the Savannah Voice Festival and the Greenwich Symphony as well as the Colburn School where she sang CHANSONS MADÉCASSES.

In 2020, Ms. Siemens was the winner of the Classical Singer Fall Competition's Classical Emerging Professional Category. Ms. Siemens was a winner in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera National Council District Auditions, and received an encouragement award from the Western Region Finals. She was also a finalist for both the Canadian Opera Company Gala Competition, and the Ades Vocal Competition.

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JACOB INGBAR | Countertenor

American countertenor Jacob Ingbar made his professional debut at age ten as a soloist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and has performed throughout North America and Europe ever since. This season, Jacob joins the Los Angeles Opera’s Young Artist Program where he will sing the role of Colin in L’amante anonyme. Jacob was slated to debut at the The Glimmerglass Festival as Il mago Cristiano in Händel’s Rinaldo and with the NDR Radiophilharmonie as Tolomeo in Händel’s Giulio Cesare in Hanover, Germany. Recent performances include his LA Opera debut as Mercurio in La Morte d’Orfeo, and as the alto soloist in Bach’s Magnificat with the Capella Regio Polona in Warsaw, Poland. Jacob has performed at The Aldebugh Festival, Minnesota Opera, the Aspen Music Festival, The Guthrie Theatre, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and The Polish National Opera among other venues. He can be heard as the alto soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms on the album Psalms and Songs featuring the Exultate Choir and Orchestra. Jacob is an alumnus of The Juilliard School, The Britten-Pears Young Artist Program, Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ Gerdine Young Artist Program, The Glimmerglass Opera Young Artist Program and Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artists Vocal Academy. He pursued his graduate studies at Rice University under the tutelage of Dr. Stephen King and previously received scholarship support from the George London and Gerda Lissner Foundations.

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RIVER GUARD | Tenor

River Guard is an operatic tenor, singer-songwriter, composer, actor, and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. River completed his undergraduate degree in Voice Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2017, studying with mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber. In the summer of 2017, River travelled to Edmonton, Alberta to sing the role of Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin under Maestro Gordon Gerrard at Opera NUOVA. River completed his Opera Diploma at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2018 and sang the role of Martin in Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land. In the summer of 2018, River travelled to the Banff Centre to take part in their Opera in the 21st Century program, attended Highlands Opera Studio run by world renowned tenor, Richard Margison. River recently finished his studies at The University of Toronto for their Masters in Opera program in 2020, studying with Wendy Nielsen. In the first year of his masters, he performed the roles of Lippo Fiorentino in Kurt Weil’s Street Scene and Il Podesta in La Finta Giardiniera with UofT Opera and is in increasing demand for opera and oratorio work throughout the Toronto area. In the summer of 2019, River travelled to the Aspen Music Festival and School to sing the leading role of Miles Zegner in the opera Proving Up by the American composer Missy Mazzoli. During the final year of his master’s at UofT Opera, he sang the roles of Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro and Henry Crawford in Jonathan Dove’s, Mansfield Park, directed by Tim Albery. Last summer, River performed his first Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Brott Opera in an online medium and returned to the Highlands Opera Festival for another summer, enjoying coaching’s and singing lessons also in an online medium. River is currently attending the Glen Gould School as one of the recipients of The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program and recently sang the role of Male Chorus in their production of The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten in March, 2021. River looks forward to another wonderful summer with Highlands Opera Studio where he will be singing Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

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EMMANUEL HASLER | Tenor

The lyric tenor Emmanuel Hasler is a very complete artist. His curiosity leads him on a large repertoire from early music to romantic opera, art song (especially Duparc’s and Poulenc’s melodies) and contemporary works.

While studying in Paris, he sang the title-role of Albert Herring by Britten, Gonzalve (L’heure espagnole, Ravel), Le premier officier (Dialogue des Carmélites, Poulenc). He also performed as Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas, Purcell) in Genève, Paris and Versailles, and Tircis (Les fêtes de l’Amour et de Bacchus, Lully) at the Théâtre du Ranelagh in Paris. With the Atelier d’opéra of Montréal University, he sang Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Britten) Orphée (Orphée aux enfers Offenbach), Mopsa (Fairy Queen, Purcell), Adario (Les Indes galantes Rameau), Gardefeu (La vie Parisienne, Offenbach) and the title-role of Idomeneo by Mozart.

He recently sung Brahms’s Liebeslieders & Neue liebeslieder and the role of at the Festival Classica, the album Distance Vespers with the choir of St Andrew & St Paul cond. J.S. Vallée (ATMA,) with UdeM, St John Passion by Bach in Montréal’s Bach Festival conducted by Julian Prégardien, Haendel’s Messiah during a Québec tour with l’Harmonie des Saisons conducted by Eric Milnes.

He also did a lot of recitals in France and Canada with a special interest for Poulenc and Duparc. He also collaborated with several European ensembles such as le Concert Spirituel, la Chapelle des Flandres, la Cappella Genevensis, l’Ensemble Chronochromie, le Palais Royal, la Tempête. Emmanuel is currently working on romantic and post-romantic roles from operas by Bizet, Massenet, Verdi & Puccini.

At 18 years old, Emmanuel was admitted in the young singers program of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles (CMBV, directed by Olivier Schneebeli) and obtained a voice degree. Thanks to this institution he did his first steps as a soloist in the NCPA of Beijing, the Royal Chapel of the palace of Versailles and Massy Opera house.

In 2016 he was admitted in the National superior Conservatoire of Paris (CNSMDP).After his first year, he left Paris in order to study in Montreal University (UdeM) with the Canadian tenor Richard Margison. In 2019 he obtained a Master degree and is currently pursuing a Doctorate degree in voice performance. Furthermore he participated in the Canadian Vocal Art Institute. He is supported by many scholarships from the University, like the Anne-Marie Trahan, George-Cédric Ferguson, Concours abbé Gadbois and Azrieli Fondation’s scholarships.

Emmanuel Hasler is also an experienced chorus master. He collaborated with many festivals such as the Festival international de musique sacrée (Sylvanès, France), the Festival Jean de la Fontaine or Festival 1001 notes. He also was Jean-Philippe Sarcos’s assistant.

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ELIAS THEOCHARIDIS | Tenor

Born of Greek and Italian descent, Canadian tenor Elias Theocharidis has been noted as "quite raw" and "exuberant" (John Gilks, operaramblings). In November 2018, Elias was honoured to be a Finalist in the prestigious Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal National Auditions' Callback Competition and Gala. Elias has attended such programs as the Highlands Opera Studio, The BANFF Centre's Opera program, Chautauqua Institution, Curtis Institute of Music's Summerfest, SongFest and St. Andrew's by-the-Sea Opera and Vocal Techniques Workshop.

In the 2020-2021 season at the University of Toronto's Opera School (UofT Opera), Elias performed in "A Little Night Music: From Mozart to Sondheim" singing excerpts of Puccini's La Bohème as Rodolfo and Sondheim's A Little Night Music as Henrik. In January 2021, he premiered the role of Cosmo Duff-Gordon in the annual UofT Opera Composers Collective, an absurdist opera called Escape Room, directed by Mario Pacheco with a libretto by Michael Patrick Albano. In March 2021, Elias performed Don José in Peter Brooks adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen, directed by Michael Patrick Albano and Musical Direction by Sandra Horst. In July 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Elias will return to Highlands Opera Studio to perform the role of Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni, directed by Valerie Kuinka and conducted by Maestro Philip Morehead. This was previously scheduled for the 2019/2020 season. This month Elias also will return to the St. Andrew’s by-the-Sea Opera Workshop with Wendy Nielsen in a one week online intensive of the program.

In the 2019-2020 season, Elias performed Basilio in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Mr. Rushworth in the Canadian Premiere of Jonathan Dove's Mansfield Park with UofT Opera. Elias joined Highlands Opera Studio in July 2020 for an online intensive spearheaded by tenor Richard Margison and director Valerie Kuinka. In the 2018-2019 season, Elias performed the role of Daniel Buchanan in the UofT Opera's production of Kurt Weill's Street Scene; he covered La Podesta in the spring production of Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera. In concert, Elias sang the tenor soloist in Mozart's Requiem with the Toronto Sinfonietta under Maestro Matthew Jaskiewicz. In the summer of 2019, Elias workshopped the roles of Alex Bello in Lizée/Ivany's No One's Safe and Cornelio in Prestini/Vavrek's Silent Light at The BANFF Centre's Opera in the 21st Century Program in collaboration with Against the Grain Theatre (AtG) and the National Sawdust. Elias was also an Art of Song Fellow at the Toronto summer Music Festival (TSMF), working with collaborative pianist Warren Jones and tenor Anthony Dean Griffey. June of 2018, at the Chautauqua Institution under Marlena Malas' voice program, Elias sang in the choruses of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Bizet's Carmen and Romberg's The Student Prince, as well as role studying Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, and performing as a Lackey in The Student Prince. Elias also enjoyed singing in a recital of American song curated by collaborative pianist Craig Rutenberg. In the 2017-2018 season, Elias joined the UofT Opera's new productions of Mozart's Don Giovanni and Gershwin's Of thee I sing as a chorus member alongside the University of Toronto's Opera Undergraduate division. Elias performed as the tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Georgetown Choral Society under the baton of Maestro Christopher Dawes and Armour Heights Presbyterian Church under Music Director, Bruce Nasmith.

Elias is passionate about the Italian and Bel Canto repertoire, he finds great inspiration from the Italian language, and its aural and vocal traditions. Elias grew up in a very artistic Canadian-European family, coming from a long line of Broadway performers, Classically trained pianists, Folk singers, Ballroom dancers, Fashion models and Disc Jockeys. Elias found his path in Opera and Classical music. A graduate from the University of Toronto's Opera School and the Classical Voice Performance program at the University of Toronto. Elias is under the tutelage of renowned soprano Wendy Nielsen. Besides his obsession with fellow Greek, Maria Callas; Elias lends his talents as a freelance Graphic Designer and Audio/Visual Content Creator. He has recently discovered a passion for the art of Drag, understanding the many ways of self-expression in drag to be entirely reflective of the artists’ obligation on the operatic stage.

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ADAM KUIACK | Baritone

Canadian Baritone Adam Kuiack recently completed his Master of Music - Opera Performance at the University of Toronto, studying with renowned artists countertenor Daniel Taylor and baritone Russell Braun. In June of 2021, he completed a Quebec tour of the new Aureas Voces opera ‘Jimmy & Rosalia’ - a blend of Canadian folk music and music from Handel’s ‘Acis and Galatea’ that was met with enthusiasm by audiences and included a sold out premier at Salle Bourgie in Montreal. Highlights of last season include Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and the roles of Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Sir Thomas Bertram in Mansfield Park. He has sung numerous operatic roles and is regularly featured as a soloist with choirs in Ontario. Since March, he’s begun to get back into writing and performing his own songs on guitar and piano and is enjoying some free time to explore new music.

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GEOFFREY SCHELLENBERG | Baritone

Praised for his “clarion tone” (Ludwig van Toronto) and “impressive vocal colour” (Opera Canada), Canadian-American baritone Geoffrey Schellenberg is recognized for the roles of Papageno (Die Zauberflüte), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Marcello and Schaunard (La bohème), and Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia). He has recently been seen in productions with Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Portland Opera, Calgary Opera, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of Portland Opera Resident Artist Program, Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Program, and Music Academy of the West, he is currently continuing his training with the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. He is scheduled to appear as Bartley in Opéra de Montréal’s upcoming production of Riders to the Sea, as well as the title role in Don Giovanni with Highlands Opera Studio.

Geoffrey has also become a frequent interpreter of oratorio, recently performing excerpts from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Mahler) with l’Orchestre de l’Agora under the direction of Nicolas Ellis. Previously, he was seen as soloist in Vancouver Bach Choir’s performances of A Sea Symphony (Vaughan Williams) and Requiem (Fauré) as well as in the Messiah (Handel) with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. He has also sung baritone solos in Requiem (Duruflé) with St. Philips Choir and in Wenceslas (Chilcott) with Jubilate Vocal Ensemble. Geoffrey was a winner of the 2020, 2019 and 2015 Western Canada District in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the platinum prize winner in the inaugural Vancouver International Music Competition, and a prize winner in the 2016 Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Competition. He completed his master’s degree at the University of British Columbia, where he performed many roles including Eugene Onegin in Eugene Onegin, Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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BRENDEN FRIESEN | Bass

Saskatchewan born bass Brenden Friesen has captured audiences with his powerful resonance, exceptional diction, enormous comedic presence, and incredible interpretation of text (Opera Canada). Brenden is a recent graduate of the esteemed L'Atelier lyrique young artist program at l'Opéra de Montréal. His studies include a Bachelor of Arts in Voice Performance from Briercrest College while studying with Dr. Ron de Jager, followed by completing University of Toronto’s MMus Opera degree while studying with Professor Lorna MacDonald. Brenden is now a current student of Ariane Girard in ​Montréal​, ​Québec.

After debuting with Opéra de Montréal in 2018 with Verdi’s ​Rigoletto ​as Count Ceprano under the baton of Maestro Carlo Montanaro, he has since performed notable roles such as Colline in Puccini’s ​La bohème ​with both Saskatoon Opera (2018) and Highlands Opera Studio (2018), Ernest Hemingway in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Canadian debut of ​27 ​(2019), Truffaldino in Strauss’ ​Ariadne auf Naxos ​(HOS2019), and Zaretski in Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece ​Eugene Onegin​ (Opéra de Montréal 2019). Brenden has also undertaken such roles as Sarastro in Mozart’s ​Die Zauberflöte (​ 2018), Leporello and Il Commendatore (UofT Opera), and Masetto (Saskatoon Opera 2017) in Mozart’s ​Don Giovanni​.

Upcoming performances, though pending with COVID-19, include Raimondo in Donizetti’s ​Lucia di Lammermoor​ with Jeunesses Musicales Canada (2020/21), as well as Handel’s ​Messiah a​ nd Brahms’ ​Ein Deutsches Requiem​ with Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (2020/21). Brenden will be returning to Highlands Opera Studio Summer 2020, and COVID regulations allowing, will reprise his roles of Masetto and Il Commendatore in Mozart’s ​Don Giovanni.

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MATTHEW MCLELLAN | Bass

Matthew McLellan is preparing to jump into a career in opera. He will complete his studies at the University of British Columbia April 2022 and has performed roles such as Figaro, Leporello, Colline, and Basilio. Outside of school He has participated in the Lotte Lehmann Akademie and the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute. He is the recipient of scholarships and awards such as the Vancouver Opera Guild Grant, the Robert H. Lee Award in Opera, the Joseph and Melitta Kandler Scholarship for Advanced Musical Study, and the Tanabe Thorne Scholarship in Opera. He is scheduled to perform il Commendatore and Masetto with Highlands Opera Studio in August 2021 and Figaro with the UBC Opera Ensemble in January 2022. Matthew comes from Kelowna, British Columbia. He began voice lessons without the intention of performing, but his first voice teacher, Katherine Van Kampen, inspired him to pursue opera. Matthew joined the UBC Opera Ensemble in 2014 and has graduated with a BMus and MMus. He has studied under Peter Barcza, and Rhoslyn Jones and currently works with Nancy Hermiston, and Daniel Okulitch.

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DYLAN WRIGHT | Bass-Baritone

Originally from Calgary, AB, bass-baritone Dylan Wright has been praised for “seducing the audience with his rich, sonorous voice” (Beat Magazine) and is a graduate of the Atelier Lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal. He recently sang Fasolt and Hagen in Berlin Wagner Gruppe and Opera by Request’s full concert production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, the four Villains in Toronto City Opera’s ‘Les Contes D’Hoffmann’, the Bonze and the Imperial Commissioner in Windsor Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Madama Butterfly’, and created the roles of Sherman Booth and Thomas Montgomery in the new opera ‘Joshua’ by Colin Mendez Morris with ArsMusica. He was last at Highlands Opera Studio in 2016, when he sang Mephistopheles in Gounod’s ‘Faust’. Other operatic highlights include the titular role in ‘Don Pasquale’, Dulcamara in ‘L’elisir d’amore’, Leporello and Il Commendatore in ‘Don Giovanni’ and the title role and Bartolo in ‘Le nozze di Figaro’, Seneca in ‘L’incoronazione di Poppea’, Colline in ‘La Boheme’, Rocco in ‘Fidelio’, Frère Laurent in ‘Roméo et Juliette’, Zaccaria in ‘Nabucco’, and Cadmus and Somnus in ‘Semele’. Dylan has also performed as the soloist in such oratorios as the Mozart Reqiuem, Handel’s ‘Messiah’, Haydn’s ‘Die Schöpfung’, and Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C Major’ as well as in musical theatre as Emile de Becque in South Pacific. He holds a MMus in Opera from the University of Toronto and currently studies with Jason Howard.

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MYRA MALLEY | Stage Manager

Myra A. Malley has done over 50 mainstage productions with Toronto Operetta Theatre since 1988. A career stage manager for both opera and drama, Theatre companies worked with include London’s Grand Theatre, Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre and both the Stratford and Shaw Festivals; Opera companies include Opera Hamilton, Pacific Opera Victoria, Edmonton Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Opera Lyra and The Banff Centre. Myra holds an MFA in Stage Directing from York University and a MA in Theatre History from the University of Toronto and has taught both Stage Management and Theatre History at the post-secondary level.

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MELISSA STEPHENS | Costume & Prop Coordinator

Melissa is a native of London, Ont. and a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with degrees in music and education, and a diploma from the Western Conservatory of Music.

A resident of Haliburton for 43 years, Melissa is well known for her tireless involvement in the arts. An accomplished pianist, organist, flautist and music director, she was named "Highlander of the Year" in 1998 and "Artist of Distinction" in 2007. These titles are well deserved.

Melissa is the Production Manager of the Highlands Opera Studio, working with Artistic Director Richard Margison and General Director Val Kuinka. As well ,she is the Executive Producer and Music Director for Highlands Summer Festival. Melissa also designs all and constructs many of the costumes for both the Opera and Festival productions.

Melissa retired from teaching at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School in the spring of 2019.

Then there are the choirs!
Haliburton United Church Choir,
Zion United Church Choir, Highlands Male Chorus,
The College Community Choir, Lindsay,
the North Hastings Community Choir, Bancroft
and the Highlands Festival Singers, Haliburton.
Her choirs have tackled such major works as
Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah,
and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

To celebrate Canada’s 150th Anniversary, Melissa combined members from all her choirs to present "A Canadian Choral Celebration 150 Years ~ 150 Voices."

Melissa is so excited that Highlands Opera Studio is back in the Highlands. Melissa would like to remember her husband Craig Saunders, who passed away during the pandemic and was an amazing champion of Highlands Opera Studio from day one. As well, Melissa would like to thank all of the wonderful volunteers from Haliburton County who have helped in so many ways.

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DAVID SWEENEY | LX Designer

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BETH KIPPING | Hair & Make-Up

Beth studied and received her Music degree at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Over the past 40 plus years Beth has performed in or musically directed over 45 musicals. Beth taught Vocal Music at Cedargrove Private School and was the Minister of Music at Lorne Park Baptist Church before moving to Haliburton. Beth is a Vocal Coach, teaches singing in Haliburton and Bancroft, and directs the “Haliburton Highlands Youth Ensemble.” She is also a member of the “Haliburton Festival Choir” This is Beth’s 12th Season working with the Highlands Opera Studio.